B1 Finnish GrammarAdverbs & Adverb Position
Learn Finnish adverbs and their placement in sentences. Finnish adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Many are formed from adjectives using the -sti ending, while others are independent words. Master adverb formation and the flexible but meaningful word order rules.
1Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
Most Finnish adverbs are formed by adding -sti to the adjective stem (often the genitive singular stem without -n). This is similar to English -ly. The vowel harmony rule applies, and some adjectives have stem changes. Not all adjectives can form adverbs this way.
Adjective to Adverb
| Adjective | Stem | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| nopea (fast) | nopea- | nopeasti |
| hidas (slow) | hitaa- | hitaasti |
| kaunis (beautiful) | kaunii- | kauniisti |
| hyvä (good) | hyv- | hyvin |
| huono (bad) | huono- | huonosti |
| helppo (easy) | helpo- | helposti |
Examples
Hän puhuu nopeasti.
He/she speaks quickly.
nopeasti from nopea
Kävelen hitaasti.
I walk slowly.
hitaasti from hidas
Hän laulaa kauniisti.
He/she sings beautifully.
kauniisti from kaunis
Teet työn helposti.
You do the work easily.
helposti from helppo
2Independent Adverbs
Many common Finnish adverbs are not derived from adjectives. These include time adverbs (nyt, tänään, huomenna), place adverbs (täällä, siellä, kotona), manner adverbs (hyvin, huonosti), and degree adverbs (erittäin, melko, liian). These must be memorized individually.
Common Independent Adverbs
| Category | Finnish | English |
|---|---|---|
| time | nyt, tänään, huomenna, eilen | now, today, tomorrow, yesterday |
| place | täällä, siellä, kotona, ulkona | here, there, at home, outside |
| degree | erittäin, melko, liian, vähän | very, quite, too, a little |
| frequency | aina, usein, harvoin, joskus | always, often, rarely, sometimes |
Examples
Menen kotiin nyt.
I am going home now.
nyt = time adverb
Hän on erittäin väsynyt.
He/she is very tired.
erittäin = degree adverb
Käyn siellä usein.
I go there often.
usein = frequency adverb
Tule tänne!
Come here!
tänne = place adverb (direction)
3Adverb Position in Sentences
Finnish word order is flexible, but adverb placement affects emphasis. Time adverbs often come first or last. Manner adverbs typically follow the verb. Degree adverbs come directly before the word they modify. Moving an adverb to the beginning emphasizes it.
Typical Adverb Positions
| Type | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| time | start or end | Tänään menen töihin. / Menen töihin tänään. |
| manner | after verb | Hän puhuu selvästi. |
| degree | before modified | Se on liian vaikeaa. |
| negation | before verb | En koskaan myöhästy. |
Examples
Huomenna lähden matkalle.
Tomorrow I leave for a trip.
time adverb at start = emphasis
Hän ajaa varovasti.
He/she drives carefully.
manner adverb after verb
Tämä on melko helppo.
This is quite easy.
degree adverb before adjective
Aina hän tulee myöhässä.
He/she always comes late.
aina at start = emphasis
4Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
Finnish adverbs can be compared like adjectives. The comparative adds -mmin to the stem, and the superlative uses -immin. Some common adverbs have irregular comparison forms, especially hyvin (well) and paljon (much).
Adverb Comparison
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| nopeasti | nopeammin | nopeimmin |
| hitaasti | hitaammin | hitaimmin |
| hyvin | paremmin | parhaiten |
| paljon | enemmän | eniten |
| vähän | vähemmän | vähiten |
Examples
Hän juoksee nopeammin kuin minä.
He/she runs faster than me.
nopeammin = comparative
Puhun suomea paremmin nyt.
I speak Finnish better now.
paremmin = better (irregular)
Hän työskentelee eniten.
He/she works the most.
eniten = superlative of paljon
Yritän tehdä tämän nopeimmin.
I try to do this fastest.
nopeimmin = superlative